SEEN
Born 1961 in the Bronx · subway writer 1973–1989 · «Godfather of Graffiti»
Richard Mirando, known as SEEN, grew up in the Bronx and began painting New York's subway in 1973 with the crew United Artists (UA). For sixteen years he covered trains on the 2, 5 and 6 lines with whole-car pieces – and kept going until 1989, long after pressure from the MTA had stopped most writers. The documentary Style Wars (1983) and the book Subway Art (1984) made him known worldwide as the «Godfather of Graffiti».
In the early 1980s he moved to canvas, painting comic heroes and characters with spray paint and stencils, shown alongside Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1985 he made headlines by writing his name across the Hollywood sign, and in the late 1980s he opened Tattoo Seen, one of New York's best-known studios. Today he works on canvas, in sculpture and mixed media, including hand-painted subway maps.
On the market: His canvases and editions are sold through galleries such as Tilsitt Gallery; in 2009 he opened his own gallery in Paris, which later became Seen Studios.
Walls, trains & public works: Dozens of top-to-bottom whole cars on New York's subway between 1973 and 1989. (source)
Fact sheet
✓ documented · – no information in the sources
Rammellzee
1960–2010 · Far Rockaway, Queens · Gothic Futurism, Letter Racers, «Beat Bop»
Rammellzee was born in 1960 in Far Rockaway, Queens, and painted subway cars from the late 1970s. He developed his own theory, «Gothic Futurism», in which letters arm themselves against the rules of the alphabet – and turned it into paintings, masks and costumes for his performances, and sculptures such as the Letter Racers, tiny letter vehicles built from found objects.
He was also a key figure of early hip-hop: in 1983 he recorded «Beat Bop» with K-Rob, with cover art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and he appeared in the films Wild Style (1982) and Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise (1984). He died in 2010. Retrospectives followed at Red Bull Arts New York (Racing for Thunder, 2018) and at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2025).
On the market: His estate is represented by Jeffrey Deitch; works rarely come to market. «Beat Bop» is considered by some to be the most valuable hip-hop record of all time.
Walls, trains & public works: Subway cars from the late 1970s; his later work focused on painting, sculpture, masks and costumes. (source)
Fact sheet
| Born | 1960, Far Rockaway (Queens, New York) · died 2010 |
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| Lives in | – |
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| Active since | late 1970s |
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| Works in | - ✓ Drawings
- ✓ Canvases
- – Murals
- ✓ Sculptures
- – Toys
- ✓ Film
- – Furniture
- – Books
- – Graphics
- ✓ Music
- ✓ Subway trains
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| Training | – |
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| Galleries | Jeffrey Deitch (estate) |
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| Previously with | Suzanne Geiss Company (2012) |
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| Collaborations | Jean-Michel Basquiat («Beat Bop», 1983), K-Rob, Bill Laswell |
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| Museums & institutions | Red Bull Arts New York (2018), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2025), Museum of Graffiti, Miami |
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| Collection acquisitions | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York: drawings «Alphabet» and «Beat Bop» |
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| Awards & residencies | – |
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| Press, interviews & films | Wild Style (film, 1982) · Beat Bop (record, 1983) · Palais de Tokyo: ALPHABETA SIGMA (2025) |
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| Wikipedia | EN Wikipedia |
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| Future value – StreetArtValue estimate | – |
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| Website | – |
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| Instagram | – |
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✓ documented · – no information in the sources
Futura (Futura 2000)
Born 1955 in New York · abstract graffiti pioneer · The Clash, Nike, Futura Laboratories
Leonard McGurr began painting New York's subway as Futura in the early 1970s and, after four years in the US Navy, became the great abstract painter of graffiti: where others focused on letters, he painted atoms, planets and pure movement. His whole car Break (1980) is a milestone of the form.
In the early 1980s he showed at the Fun Gallery with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, later at Tony Shafrazi and at Galerie du Jour in Paris. He designed the sleeve of The Clash's Combat Rock (1982) and painted live on stage on their tour. Collaborations with Nike, Supreme, Levi's, A Bathing Ape, Medicom Toy, Uniqlo and Hennessy, and his own label Futura Laboratories, made him a design icon. The Bronx Museum dedicated the retrospective Futura 2000: Breaking Out to him in 2024–25.
On the market: His Nike collaborations set auction records: a Nike Dunk «FLOM» fetched $63,000 at Sotheby's (2020), and one pair of the Off-White × Futura Dunk almost $108,000 (2023). Paintings are handled by galleries such as Eric Firestone.
Walls, trains & public works: Subway cars since the early 1970s, including the whole car «Break» (1980), and walls such as the Wynwood Walls in Miami. (source)
Fact sheet
| Born | 1955, New York |
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| Lives in | – |
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| Active since | early 1970s |
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| Works in | - – Drawings
- ✓ Canvases
- ✓ Murals
- – Sculptures
- ✓ Toys
- – Film
- – Furniture
- – Books
- ✓ Graphics
- ✓ Merchandise
- ✓ Subway trains
|
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| Training | – |
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| Galleries | Eric Firestone Gallery |
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| Previously with | Fun Gallery, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Philippe Briet Gallery, Galerie du Jour (Paris) |
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| Collaborations | The Clash («Combat Rock», 1982), Nike, Supreme, Levi's, A Bathing Ape, Medicom Toy, Undercover, Comme des Garçons, Uniqlo (2017), Hennessy (2012), Off-White |
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| Museums & institutions | MoMA PS1 (1981), «Art in the Streets», Los Angeles (2011), Bronx Museum of the Arts – «Futura 2000: Breaking Out» (2024–25) |
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| Collection acquisitions | Musée de Vire (France), MAMbo – Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna |
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| Awards & residencies | – |
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| Press, interviews & films | Bronx Museum: Futura 2000 – Breaking Out · Gothamist · Style Wars (documentary, 1983) |
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| Wikipedia | EN Wikipedia |
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| Future value – StreetArtValue estimate | – |
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| Website | futuralaboratories.com |
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| Instagram | – |
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✓ documented · – no information in the sources